Or just perhaps a poor excuse!

Well, I've done 25 posts, and the readers have survived them all, I thought I'd get something a little more special in. Usually my blogs consist of progress and pics of variable quality, so for this issue, my good friend Michael Topham has contributed the the vast majority of these photos, his photography is a whole lot better than mine, so thank you very much mike!

the poor excuse could really come from the fact that i forgot my camera when we went down to Brent house last weekend, and then spent most of my time in the signal box again anyway!

We've almost come full circle, when i wrote the first post,i featured a few pics from the December rally at Brent house in 2011, so its back to that time of year again. Colloquially known as the freeze your nuts off rally it certainly did that this year! Mighty cold it was all weekend, luckily i had a nice warm signalbox again... A luxury? by the end of the day almost a chore!

But anyway, arriving at about 11, with a good few trains going around already, and good to see old familiar faces, as well a a few new ones. A newly revived loco from a track down in kent was up with our photograph provider, a LBSCR C2X that has been through 3 boilers and nearly 40 years in its time, surviving heavy use and long periods of inactivity in bits! But it was paired with our ever increasing numbers of milk tankers, there are probably about 25 in the nationwide club, though we've only ever seen a maximum of 5 together, it was nice to see 4 in a train, including a newly completed example.

We'd bought the coaches out for a final run of the year, the wagons staying at home, their boxes are still in use as a workbench for the pannier tank!

here under the overall roof modelled on bath green park, they sit with the yard shunter, a brilliant little model of a brush shunter, that will haul considerable loads

One of the owners of the LSWR 02s bought his new toy out for a play, built from a kit, the SR King arthur is no doubt due for a complete rebuild, the kits were never famed for its engineering prowess, but done well do make good models.

But all my time was spent running the brent house signal box, a mammoth 50 lever box, mostly electrically interlocked, though the lack of mechanical interlocking keeps you on your toes! Offering to relieve Brent, i presumed for maybe a few hours, meant i was still there flying solo 6 hours on! Unfortunately there seems to be very few people who will take on the job of running the box, and it should be a two man job. so, understandably, a tiring job, constantly moving, and keeping everyone happy!

(Yes if it looks familiar i have used this picture before!)

but anyway, traditionally, the host and railway owner cooks a christmas meal for those attending in the evening. But such is its popularity, by september it was booed out! So, the greystones regulars descended on a local pub, and a long and enjoyable evening ensued! All culminating in fitting 5 people in a smart car and paying the waiter to take us all back to the hotel down the road! Well all part of the service considering the twelve of us did the pub staff well for their christmas bonuses!

But anyway, day 2 was just as cold, and i vowed i wouldnt end up in the box again! So much for that! But the sunday was much quieter, and i took the opportunity to train a few replacements! Dad included! But anyway, a few more photographs with the other 02 on the teak coaches, and other things that went on.

so, even with 2 days there, i didnt get to drive any locos at all, next time someone else is running the box! I have a friend up north who says he wants to learn so he'll be my relief!

We packed up and leftto warm our hands about 2pm, and after a few little hitches with the trailer that the coaches move around in, got home in the lightto unload, for once!

But anyway, i do hope you enjoyed this post, next time normal service shall resume, mediochre pictures and all! That'll be when i have some more bits and pieces done!

Once again, thanks to Michael Topham for the pictures, and all for turning up, hopefully see all the regulars again sometime next year.

Cheers all, if nothing happens between now and then, Merry christmas and happy new year and all that

Mark